Behind The Mask
by CheshireGirl0913
Summary: Almost a decade after the events of HMB, three typical college students from the University of Gotham get the wake up call of their lives when Sweet Tooth reemerges onto the Gotham crime scene and the Batman goes missing. One gets kidnapped, one becomes a hero and one must make everyone believe she's a villain to save them all. Rated T for language and possibly violence. Robin/OC.
1. Holy Comic Books Batman!

**Yep, I did it. I finally went and did it. I'm writing a HMB fanfic. Throw me in an asylum.**

**Just kidding! But seriously, I started reading HMB fanfics and the idea was annoying me saying: "Write me... Write me... You know you want to..." And I concluded that whether or not it ends up looking like crap, I'm gonna write this.**

**So please enjoy my little plot-bunny/love child while I try to figure out what to do for the next dozen chapters.**

**NOTE: For all you crazy Batman, Superman, misc. superhero etc. fans out there, I'm writing this based on what I've seen in Holy Musical Batman with the little I've seen from a few episodes of the 1966 Batman series. So if there is incorrect or offending information in this story, please don't feel the need to raid my inbox with angry comments of "You don't know about (insert significant superhero event here)!" I know. I don't. I'm managing.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Stephanie tapped her fingers anxiously on the table, waiting for her partners in crime to arrive. Their mission was of vital importance. She needed both of them by her side to succeed. She told them to be here on Friday at this spot. So why the hell weren't they here?

And then, just like that, one of them emerged.

"About time you got here!" Stephanie exclaimed, her brunette buddy dropping her bag in front of her.

"Excuse me, missy!" She replied teasingly, "But my bus was late!" Meredith was the only one out of them that didn't have her license yet. She didn't care though. It was much more entertaining to her to see the variety of crazies at the bus station.

"Well, it's not like we can do anything until-."

"Hey guys!" Matt ran up to us, panting heavily from running. He ran his fingers through his light hair, trying to at least save it from getting somewhat messy.

"Hey," Stephanie responded, "Did you bring the stuff?"

He chuckled, "Did I bring the stuff..." He then opened his backpack, causing comic books and assorted candies to fall onto the floor. The other two cheered with excitement, grabbing the first comic book it front of them.

"Let the end-of-the-week hangout officially commence!" They each slumped down in their chairs and began reading, the noises from Kent Lounge fading away. Kent Lounge was designated as "Nerd Central" at the University of Gotham, but it didn't really seem to matter. Everyone in Gotham, in one form or another loved superheroes. Especially the Dynamic Duo, Batman and Robin.

"Ugh..." Meredith groaned openly while reading an issue of "The Joker Strikes Back."

"What's up?" Stephanie asked.

"It's the puns these villains come up with!" She whined. "What the hell is up with them and these corny jokes?!"

"It's not like the superheroes do it much better. Have you seen Spider-Man?"

"Whoa, whoa, hey!" Matt replied. "No one disses my second favorite superhero."

"Sorry, but it's the truth. Even Batman and Robin have their moments. At least Superman lays off it a little bit."

"True. But they're superheroes, they have a right to get away with it."

"Besides," Meredith joined in, "The comics exaggerate their stories quite a bit. Who knows if they actually throw out puns?" It was true. After the arrival and success of Batman, comic books were created and distributed throughout the Gotham City and beyond. Some superheroes even made special appearances like Superman, the Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, etc. All to exhibit the courage and strength to be the Super Friends. But like the trio, others had wondered what these events were really like, what the heroes were really thinking... even who Batman and Robin really were.

Stephanie dropped her now-fully-read book onto the table, taking another sip of her orange soda. She was lucky to grab the Anniversary Edition first out of the assorted pile. That particular comic shared the story of how Batman teamed up with the Robin to save Gotham from Sweet Tooth.

It had been almost ten years since the final battle. Since the "Candy Prince of Crime's" death by chocolate, the crime rate plummeted. The only crime-related thing that really happened now was the occasional theft or sexual assault. If one was lucky, you could see the Dynamic Duo zoom by in the Batcar. Even if there was barely any crime left in Gotham, the heroes were still as admired as before.

Stephanie and her friends still remembered that time though. They may have been only kids, but the day was still fresh in their memories. The screams, the maniacal laughter. She stayed up late one night watching Sweet Tooth's on air message, revealing that he kidnapped Robin. Stephanie would never forget that horrible song he sang at the beginning.

_"Who can take the sunrise...Ah! And sprinkle it with-!"_

"Hello compatriots!" Stephanie snapped back to reality, along with her friends.

"Hey, Dick," they all grumbled. Although Dick Grayson was the ward of the infamous billionaire, Bruce Wayne, he was probably the most annoying kid in their entire class. At least to Stephanie and Matt anyway. Meredith, however, had other ideas.

"So what do you think of the big Anniversary celebration coming up?" He asked with a smile. The city decided that every year they would close down the entire Main Street of Gotham to hold a block party extravaganza.

"I don't know, Dick," Matt said, "It was fun when we were kids, but now it's just kind of... Old!"

"Yeah," Stephanie added, "Even the novelty of the Rogues Gallery dartboard has worn out for me. And I used to love shooting at villains like Two-Face and Penguin!"

"Hey," Meredith added sharply.

"What?" The other three look at her, confused.

"Never mind," Meredith slid back into her chair, memories flooding through her mind. Her uncle was only a pawn in _HIS_ game and now he was gone from her forever. The closest thing she had to a father since hers turned to alcoholism so many years ago, she never be able to hug him and smell his tobacco-infused shirt ever again.

Dick continued to be engaged in the conversation, but still couldn't ignore Meredith's body language. She looked sad, troubled. He hated when she was like that. It made him feel like he couldn't do anything to help her forget.

Stephanie noticed the connection and spoke up, "Hey, Matt, let's grab a drink from the vending machines over there."

"But I'm not thirsty!" Stephanie shot him a dirty look to drop a hint and he begrudgingly went with her, leaving Dick and Meredith to themselves.

Dick spoke, "Are you alright?"

"I guess," Meredith sighed.

"You can tell me of you want to." She debated this in her mind. Dick and her had known each other for a while. Since freshman year in college, in fact. But what would he think when he found out? "I'm good at keeping secrets of that helps."

She took a deep breath and told her story, "The Penguin was my uncle." Dick felt a knot twist in his stomach as she continued. She had to watch the closest thing she had to family be ripped from her forever because of Sweet Tooth's wrath. She had to tell the world that her uncle was killed by Sweet Tooth's hands... which, now that he thought of it, was somewhat the truth. How could Penguin have known? He saw her uncle die, his head exploding into a rocket-blue raspberry Gusher within seconds. The fact that he nearly met the same fate sent shivers down his spine.

As this went on, Stephanie and Matt watched from a distance.

"Why did you drag me over here again?" Matt asked rather loudly.

Stephanie shushed him and resumed watching, "Can't you see they've been eyeing each other for months? This is perfect!" They could hear nothing, but saw Meredith nodding and smiling about something and Dick embracing her. Matt tried to remain calm, curling his fist and digging his nails into his hands.

Stephanie decided that enough time had passed for her to return, dragging Matt behind her, "Everything alright?"

"Do you mind asking them?" Meredith said to Dick, grinning from ear to ear.

"Sure," he smiled back, turning his attention to the other two. "I would like to personally invite you to the unveiling of the Gotham Museum's Rogues Gallery." Stephanie's eyes widened with excitement. She had heard of this event, which was said only to be open to the Gotham Museum's biggest contributors. This sounded so much more interesting than going to the Anniversary block party. It was even rumored that Batman might be there.

"I'm in!" She said excitedly.

"Sure," Matt said sternly, venom creeping into his voice. The excitement launched into their conversation, but he wasn't really paying attention at this point. He had his mind on other things.

_You never tell a girl you like her. It makes you look like an idiot._


	2. Holy Party Crashing Batman!

Meredith placed on her last earring as she heard a knock from downstairs. Lifting her skirts, she dashed to the door, briefly checking herself in the mirror.

Leaning against the limo, Stephanie watched as Matt checked his breath and adjusted the jacket on his suit as he knocked on the front door again. It made her chuckle how hard he was trying, but it tugged at her heart string as well. He liked Meredith but she didn't feel the same. She didn't know when the hell he was going to realize that she didn't share the same feelings but she was willing to watch it unfold. Her job as a friend was to be a support system, not the push them over the edge. For now, things were at a somewhat peace. And that was fine by her.

The door swung open and Matt felt his heart stop. Meredith stood in the doorway with her diamond earrings and mermaid-style black dress. Her wavy hair was now tightly curled and placed into a side ponytail.

"You look great," he was able to stutter out.

"Thanks," she grinned, dashing towards the limo and her best friend. Stephanie knew how to dress impress, wearing a backless skin colored gown and her hair in a low bun. The jewels in the gown sparkled in the street lights. After a momentary exchange of compliments, they drove off to the Gotham Museum.

* * *

They entered the front hallway and were in awe of what was around them. Men and woman in formal garb circled around them, drinking wine and enjoying themselves. Throughout the room were wax statues of the baddest and greatest in Gotham crime history. Stephanie excitedly ran over to the one of Catwoman while Meredith awkwardly stared at the one of Penguin.

Matt walked over to her, "Don't worry. If he attacks I'll punch!" He chuckled as she revealed a small smile. He meant well. He just didn't know.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Lopez?" Meredith turned and met eyes with and elderly man in a suit.

"Yes, I am," she responded.

"Ah, well my name is Alfred Pennyworth. I'm the butler to Mister Wayne and Mister Grayson."

"It's nice to meet you." She shook his hand and Matt introduced himself. She looked around, "Where's Dick?"

"Ah, well, Master Richard got caught up in some important matters, but he sent me to tell you that he will arrive as soon as possible and asked me to serve you and your friends for the evening."

She grinned, "Thank you, Mr. Pennyworth."

"Please, call me Alfred."

* * *

The Boy Wonder leapt from building to building, sweat falling from his brow. He knew he was late to the unveiling, but catching crooks was more important than actually seeing them in a museum right now.

"Where did she go?" He asked the Caped Crusader beside him.

"I don't know, Robin," Batman replied, scanning the area for any sight of her.

A sweet venomous cackle reached their ears and they turned to see their opponent.

Poison Ivy.

"Hello, boys," she spoke. "Miss me?"

Robin let out an exasperated sigh. Meredith would have to wait. Right now he had to remove a weed from the garden.

* * *

"It's amazing how well they sculpted these figures," Matt said, the two girls beside him. Meredith was starting to grow restless. Over an hour had gone by with no sign of Dick and out of boredom she resorted to checking out the other wax replicas. They were staring at he one of Sweet Tooth, whose replica remind her vaguely of a twisted version of the love child of Ronald McDonald and Willy Wonka minus the clown makeup. In many unexplainable ways, it scared her.

And yet she was all the more enraged.

A gasp was heard and they turned to Stephanie.

"What wrong?" Meredith asked.

"I swear that statue just winked at me."

"You're probably just a little tired," Matt said. "Let's grab some soda. That'll wake you up." As he began escorting Stephanie away, he turned back to Meredith. "You coming?"

"Nah, I'm fine." Matt shrugged and walked away, trying hard not to appear hurt. Meredith stood in front of that statue, staring it down as if it didn't tower over her 126 lb. frame.

"You deserved what you got, Sweet Tooth," she mumbled low enough so no one else could hear. "If you were here right now, I would make you pay for destroying my uncle." She walked away towards the other guests. If she had listened closely enough, she would've heard the quiet sound of mad cackling.

* * *

Dick Grayson slipped into the party two hours late, adjusting his jacket. He hated having to leave Bruce behind like that, but he knew it wasn't anything too concerning. Batman had done solo missions long before the Robin came along. He would survive for one night. Besides, Bruce wanted him to go in his stead in case he couldn't make it.

It wasn't hard to spot Meredith. Her caramel skin looked so radiant in the light, her dress embracing her in all the right places.

"Meredith!" He dashed towards her.

Then all he could see was black.

Wait... Black?

Screams filled his ears as he scrambled after her.

Only a few feet away, Matt was struggling to find Meredith, leaving Stephanie to stay still in the darkness.

Then a haunting melody played into the atmosphere, causing her heart to stop.

"_Who can take the sunrise... And sprinkle it with BLOOD!"_ A spotlight focused on the figure, who smiled wickedly at the rising levels of fear around him. Matt and Dick stopped at the same moment when they realized the impossible.

Sweet Tooth had returned.

"Hello, Gotham! It's been awhile hasn't it? Well there's no need to worry. Cuz I'm back and better than ever!" A maniacal laugh filled the halls as the lights went out once again. A girl's scream was heard before the lights went up again. Sweet Tooth was gone, so was his replica.

And so was Meredith.

* * *

**Gasp! Meredith has been kidnapped! And Sweet Tooth is back! What will the remain friends do to stop him? Tune in next chapter to find out!**


	3. Holy Complications Batman!

"What do you mean you can't find her?!" Matt screamed at Commissioner Gordon. The Gotham Police department arrived shortly after the lights came back and so far no evidence had shown how Sweet Tooth got in or out of the building with Meredith.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Walker, but there's nothing I can do! If we can't find her, we can't find her!" The Commissioner began waddling away, mumbling to himself, "Where's that Batman when you need him?"

That's exactly what Dick was wondering. He checked his iPhone impatiently, after having sent ten texts to Bruce about Sweet Tooth's return and Meredith's kidnapping. No response had been made and it was starting to irritate him. _Where is he?_

* * *

Stephanie walked back into the crime scene, exasperated by the stress and the arguing, but with one singular topic over powering everything else.

She thought in all situations like this, she would be the one kidnapped, not Mere. Meredith had to be the stronger one of the two of them and had the physical capability that she's kept since high school. Now that she was gone, her mind was racing with questions about Sweet Tooth's return. How did he survive his fall all those years ago? And why would he kidnap Meredith, of all people? Nothing made sense to her.

She felt herself slip on something on the floor, snapping her back to reality. She picked up the object.

"A mini Twix bar?" She asked aloud. She looked up and saw that assorted candies were lightly scattered... But heading towards the door to the back alley. "Bingo."

She entered the back alley and found that the air had the most sickening smell of cotton candy and the street was covered in tire tracks from harsh turns and braking. With curiosity getting the better of her, she began walking through the streets of Gotham to find Sweet Tooth and her best friend.

* * *

"This is all your fault!" Letting his anger get the better of him, Matt was now aiming his frustration towards Dick.

"How is this my fault exactly?" Dick replied sourly.

"If you had actually shown up on time instead of being the spoiled little prat that you are by sending your butler instead, none of this would've happened!" Dick opened his mouth to retort but decided against the idea. Saying that he was out on patrol would raise questions, the last thing he needs at a time like this.

Instead he chose a different method, "You can blame it on my upbringing as much as you want, but fighting won't get us anywhere." Matt began to retort, but then realized that (unfortunately) Dick was right.

He took a breathe, "What do you suggest we do?"

"First off, we find Bruce."

Matt scrunched his face in confusion, "What's Mr. Wayne got to do with this?"

"He won't respond to my texts an I want to make sure he's okay."

"Meredith's been kidnapped and all you can care about is-!"

"He's the only one who'll be able to help us find her."

"What about Batman?" Dick froze. _Dammit_.

"Well clearly he's not here now is he?" Dick shot back, sarcasm dripping from his tone. With that, the two fled into the night to find Alfred and get to Wayne Manor.


	4. Holy Big Reveal Batman!

**UPDATE: UGH! I was so angry when I realized that this chapter was not up. I thought I had, but I didn't... Grr... So pissed... Anyway, here's the chapter that covers the holes I'm sure you're wondering about. Takes place after Dick and Matt leave with Alfred.**

* * *

Matt had to admit that for a spoiled brat, Dick's place was pretty cool. The size of it could easily be comparable to the White House or Buckingham Palace, only it seemed kind of gloomy. But then again the whole place was painted black, so anyone could make that judgement.

When Dick reached for the door, he was surprised by how easy it was to open it. Through closer inspection he realized that the door had been crowbarred open.

"Dick! Where you going!" Dick ran into the manor, scanning for any other signs of break in.

From what he could see nothing. Nothing showed that someone tried to rob Wayne Manor.

_Unless..._

He ran into the study and flipped open the marble head to open up the entrance to the Bat Cave. Quickly sliding down the pole, he hit the floor and found only one thing missing from the Cave.

The Batsuit.

Meaning Batman never came home tonight.

"Whoa..." Dick felt his stomach drop in fear. He had completely forgotten that Matt was with him. Now he was staring at the Bat Cave in awe while Dick basically felt caught with his pants down.

Matt couldn't believe it. Dick had the frickin Bat Cave in his house! It looked even better than how it did in the comics.

But why did he have the Bat Cave in his house if he wasn't-?

Then it hit him. he stared at Robin's suit for a moment and Matt let it sink in. Why else would someone be late in such a manner? Why else would he care about Mr. Wayne and Sweet Tooth? Why else would Robin not be on duty tonight?

Matt looked over at Dick, "Wait a second... You're the-." The rest of the sentence was muffled by Dick's mouth.

Dick sighed, "Yes." This was going to be a longer night than he thought. "Sit down." He pulled up a few chairs and Matt sat down reluctantly.

Dick had a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

The trail of sweets and tire tracks led Stephanie to an abandoned printing factory on the other end of town. It was at least seven stories high, with broken windows and graffiti along the walls.

_Meredith_, Stephanie thought,_ I hope you're in there_.

She spotted a fire escape near one of the broken windows on the fourth floor and proceeded to climb. Her lacking athletic ability and her dress made this difficult but the high slit in the gown still made it manageable. She froze when she heard voices on the inside.

"How long do you think it'll take for them to notice he's gone?"

"Not long, I'm sure. Quick, tie his hands down." Stephanie heard a quiet zipping noise as the voices continued.

"Doesn't look like he'll be up for a while. Wanna go downstairs and see what the boss is up to?"

"Why not. We've got nothing better to do!" She heard a door open, but then: "Who do you think looks hotter, Catwoman or Poison Ivy?"

"Really, dude? Are you serious? Candy tops them all!"

"I'm not really into all the crazy colors like you are-." And with that, the door shut. After a few moments of silence, Stephanie cautiously climbed through the window...

And met eyes with Meredith, gagged and tied up in the middle of the room, screaming underneath the fabric.

Stephanie shushed her, "Oh thank God, you're okay. It's gonna be alright, okay? I'm getting you out of here." Meredith's screaming only got louder. "What is it?"

A clicking sound from behind her caught her attention.

"Step away from the girl." Stephanie lifted her hands and turned, meeting eyes with Sweet Tooth. He was definitely more horrifying in real life than in the comics. "And just what do you think you're doing?"

Stephanie felt her heart beating faster by the millisecond. She could already feel the bullet in her and yet Sweet Tooth hang even shot at her. She had to think up a lie, and it had to be a good one.

"Checking on your latest victim," Stephanie playfully cooed, hoping this would win him over. "I'm very impressed with your comeback. Always wondered why you never came back sooner. Stealing the girl of the ward of the richest man in town? Brilliant."

Sweet Tooth lifted his eyebrows, but did not drop the gun, "Oh really?"

Stephanie nodded, "You see, I've had my eye on a certain someone for a while that cannot keep his eyes off her." She glared over at Meredith for emphasis, then returned her attention to Sweet Tooth. "Now that's she's out of the way, he's all mine. Thank you, Sweet Tooth."

The gun dropped a little but not enough for him not to make a fatal shot, "That still doesn't explain why you're here."

"Aside from delivering my thanks and telling little Meredith the truth... I wanted to let you know that I've always been a fan of yours. The life of crime seemed so... Intriguing to me at yet I never quite knew how to pull through with a plan like yours. I was hoping that... Maybe you could teach me a few things." Her arms were down now, resting on her hips as if to say, "You can't scare me." Her hair had already tumbled out of the bun on her way here, so it was now a waterfall of curls around her face. If this didn't work on Sweet Tooth, then she might as well lie down dead now.

Sweet Tooth looked at her before responding, "There's something about you that I like." Stephanie smiled back in response. He slowly dropped the gun, stepping into the light for her to get a closer look. She almost went into shock at the sight of him. His incident with the hot chocolate vat caused for part of his face to be somewhat burned and melted off. There was still skin, but the bone structure was now more visible, as if all the muscle on the inside had melted away. "What's your name, SweeTart?" He grinned pulling out the package as he spoke.

She took it with a venomous chuckle, "Stephanie Holden, at your service."

Sweet Tooth beamed, "Excellent." He offered his arm, "If you'll follow me, Miss Holden." She took his arm, eyeing Meredith as she walked away. She looked angry. _Good_, Stephanie thought.

_The less she knows what I'm doing the better_.

* * *

If it was at all possible, Matt would've crapped his pants then and there.

Dick had told him everything, from meeting Bruce Wayne to tonight's events. It all made sense to him now, but the fact that his crush's crush was also a superhero, if not also The Boy Wonder, irritated him as well. Thank God Meredith didn't know about this.

Just looking at Dick, Matt didn't know whether to freak out like the fanboy he knew he was or to scream about how the hell much more irresistible Dick could get if Meredith knew.

Instead he asked the impending question, "Well what do we do now?"

As if to answer Matt's question, the Batscreen zapped to life and Sweet Tooth appeared on the screen.

"Hello Boy Blunder, I-." Sweet Tooth looked at the two of them in confusion. "Wait a minute. You're not Robin. You're Bruce Wayne's ward." He glanced at Matt. "And I have no idea who the hell you are."

"I'm-."

But Dick cut him off, "We came to Batman and Robin for help, but neither of them appear to be here. We were going to ask for their assistance in tracking down Miss Lopez."

"Oh? You mean her?" The camera shifted and Meredith appeared onscreen, tied to a chair and gagged. She looked tired and broken. Dick almost couldn't bear to look at her. Matt, however, was about ready to throw a brick at the screen.

"What have you done to her, you son-of-a-bitch!"

"Nothing you should be worried about," the villain replied. "I haven't harmed her... Yet."

"What do you want?" Dick glared at the screen.

"What I've wanted since the beginning: Gotham. In my sticky grasp. Of course the procedure will be much different then last time. First I must eliminate my adversaries by hitting the soft spot. And soft spot, means weak spot."

The camera turned on a figure in the shadows. Dick felt his heart drop even further and Matt felt like an acorn lodge in his throat.

Sweet Tooth chuckled, "Isn't that right, Dark Knight?"


	5. Holy Hidden Shadows Batman!

They each returned to class the following week with equal weights on their chests. Matt couldn't get over the fact that his own social archnemisis was the Boy Wonder in nerd's clothing. Dick was thinking escape plan after escape plan while Sweet Tooth's voice rambled in his mind, taunting him and forcing him to remember when he was the victim almost ten years ago. Stephanie was more or less thinking the same way, wondering how she and Meredith could get out unscathed.

And when the trio met that afternoon, the topic of choice was Meredith.

"Have the police found anything?" Stephanie asked.

Dick shook his head, "Not a single scrap of evidence. I think they're more concerned about what Sweet Tooth was planning." Correction, he thought to himself, I'm concerned with what he's planning to do to Bruce and Meredith.

"I'm sure they'll find something. What kind of police force would they be if they didn't?"

"A crappy one." The two stared at Matt, who spoke for the first time today. And who could blame him? Meredith was missing, in the hands of one of the greatest criminal minds in Gotham history, and no one was trying hard enough to locate her, even the Boy Wonder.

He honestly expected Dick not to be at school today. After Saturday night's events, Dick personally drove Matt home, barely exchanging words. He expected to hear nothing, that Dick would step up as a superhero and try making something of himself. But the fact that he was still here, in his presence and not searching for the girl they both loved? It pissed him off more than anything else.

"Someone," Matt grumbled, eyeing Dick angrily, "Needs to find her before Sweet Tooth does... I don't know _something_ to her! We can't just sit here!"

"Well," Dick replied calmly, "If you're so adamant, why don't you go and look for her?" He had a look in his eye that made Matt's blood boil. After a momentary stare down, he roughly grasped his backpack, inches from hitting Dick in the face, and left the building.

Stephanie couldn't help but feel guilty. She felt bad, being the only one out of the three of them who knew the whereabouts of Meredith. But she couldn't risk their lives. She knew she had to find a way to accelerate her plan before Matt did anything stupid.

"I'm done for the day," she said standing up from her seat, "I'll see you later, Dick."

"See ya." He watched her leave as he returned back to his train of thought. Sweet Tooth could be anywhere in Gotham... But where?

* * *

Meredith had managed to get her gag out of her mouth and was now trying to release herself from her other bonds, with little result. She had to give the henchmen credit; Sweet Tooth knew where to find strong people.

She sighed, sitting back in her chair and wondering what Dick was up to. Whether he was trying to look for her or if Matt had yet tried. She couldn't say anything towards Stephanie. In fact, she had nothing to say. All she knew was that she had the desire to kick her ass.

Meredith glanced up and let her eyes wander the dark space around her. She didn't recognize it as the room she was in only hours ago, so she could only assume that she had been moved. The only difference was this room had no windows, only one door and a single light bulb shining above her, darkening the farther corners of the room. After a few moments of staring at her new surroundings, she spotted a figure in the shadows, tied up in their own chair. She didn't remember seeing him the night before, so she could only assume that he was Sweet Tooth's latest victim.

"Excuse me?" The figure's head glanced up. "So... He kidnapped you too?"

"You could say that." The voice was deep and rough, making Meredith believe that the man had to be much older than her. He had to be important to be kidnapped.

"Well since we're going to be stuck here together... we might as well get to know one another right?"

"And what makes you think that?"

"Maybe we can find a way out together." There was silence for a moment before she began to speak again, "I'm Meredith, Meredith Donovan. What's your name?"

"I'm... Well... How about we make this a guessing game? I could be anyone in Gotham, y'know."

"Aw, that's no fun! I'm horrible at guessing stuff!"

She heard a chuckle as he continued, "Might wanna start thinking. Not that it matters. We're going to be spending a lot of time together after all."


	6. Holy Kicked Ass Batman!

**UPDATE: Just to make things clear, no. This technically isn't a new chapter. The followup to this one is still in progress, but the "lost" chapter so to speak has been put in its rightful place and therefore this was put up as a new chapter. Check out chapter 4 for any confusions. I really am irritated right now.**

**We now return to your regularly scheduled fanfic.**

* * *

It had been over a week since Meredith Donovan and Bruce Wayne had gone missing.

Night had already settled onto Gotham as Dick rapidly read the screen of information in front of him for the billionth time. He had been at this since returned home from the University only eight hours ago. It was one AM now, and he still found no scrap of information of Meredith and Bruce's whereabouts, nor anything on Sweet Tooth's sudden appearance in the past week. It was beginning to irritate him more than anything.

He knew Sweet Tooth well enough to know that he loved a classic game of "Cat and Mouse." It was the same with every villain: villain steals something, villain reveals plan, superhero kicks ass and returns home with the stolen good. But something felt off about this one. Dick couldn't place why…..

CLANG!

Dick rapidly turned from his chair. Someone was in the Bat Cave.

He stood up, keeping his fighting stick nearby just in case. He scanned the shadows of the Cave….

Only to feel someone jump on top of him.

Within seconds, Dick responded and firmly grabbed his opponent, flipping him over onto the floor. The body laid there, groans exhaling from behind a cheap ski mask. Dick yanked off the mask and locked eyes with the intruder.

He chuckled, "You're going to have to do a lot better than that if you're gonna save Mere."

Matt grumbled as he stood, brushing himself off, "Says the guy who's been hiding in the Cave doing nothing."

"Hey! I've been trying to find her and Bruce, while you have…. Um, well…. What have you been doing?"

"Training."

"I see. So you think that after a week you think you're ready to be a hero?"

"I'm willing to do anything to save her."

"Well even if you save her, your methods will barely get the both of you out alive. Just because you play Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto, it doesn't mean you understand the reality of the situation."

"I think I know enough."

Dick raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?" Before he knew it, Matt felt himself once again get slammed to the floor. He angrily looked up at Dick, who smirked at his failure. "You need to learn to anticipate the unexpected."

"You didn't give me a chance!"

"Sweet Tooth won't give you one," he replied, darkly. Although he didn't really like Matt, he knew that they both sincerely cared about Meredith. A thought occurred to him. "Look, I know we have our differences-."

"Pft! No shit!"

"But," Dick said more firmly, "Maybe if we work _together_, we can find her."

Matt stood up, "What makes you think I would ever want to work with you?"

"Divided we're hopeless, but together we could find the people we care about the most." Matt felt himself calm as he pondered this thought. Dick could very well find out where Meredith is. All he had to do was follow and he got his girl back. "I'll understand if you don't want to team up-."

"Fine," he replied, surprising Dick. "I'll work with you, but don't think I'm going to be happy about it."

Dick grinned, "Alright." He walked over to a shelf and pulled out another fighting stick. He tossed it to Matt, "First, you must learn to defend yourself. Go!" Before Matt was aware of it, Dick was fighting back hard, but now he focused on his every move. Fair enough.

By the time this was over, _he_ would be Meredith's hero.

* * *

The lights flickered inside the room as Stephanie stared at Meredith, who was sound asleep. Despite the fact that Sweet Tooth had given her meals, she had never seen her friend look so terrible. She wished she could've saved her the moment Sweet Tooth met her not long ago, but she knew the classic saying well.

"Are you ready, my little Sugar Baby?" A sickly-sweet voice said behind her.

She turned with a smirk, "Ready when you are, S.T."

_Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer._


End file.
